Top positive review

I love the Jim Knighthorse series so thought I would give this book a try. J.R. Rain did not disappoint. Samantha Moon is a normal person just trying to survive life even though she isn’t technically alive anymore. The character is very well written and J.R. Rain does a great job of describing a normal life while at the same time weaving a mythology of werewolves and vampires into the mix. The mythology of the paranormal is so well written it doesn’t seem out of place in the modern story or too farfetched to be believed.

The imagery and scenery is very well described and helps paint a picture so much you could almost see Samantha’s office and house in your mind. I love Samantha’s relationship with her sister and was glad to see her sister love her while still wanting to be creeped out by the vampire thing. Her relationship with her husband was heartbreaking to read and you almost felt Samantha’s pain as the relationship deteriorated. I admire how Samantha did not lose her humanity or her motherly instinct – she truly loves her children and they are her anchor to the reality.

The mystery seems a little too easy and doesn’t add much to the story but that is okay because the focus of the book is on getting introduced to Samantha Moon’s world.

There were two downsides to the story to me and the first one was the werewolf thing was totally predictable and not surprising at all. The second one was the love story. I didn’t buy the love story though – it did not resonate with me at all. I totally felt like she had way more chemistry with the vampire hunter and the police detective than she did with Kingsley. Their romance just seemed like the author threw it in there at the last minute.

The narrator Dina Pearlman is fabulous and did a wonderful job with the voices so much so I never got confused about who was talking.

Overall a good story and kept me interested in continuing the series. Well done Mr. Rain.

Top critical review

Moon Dance had an interesting concept. But the execution of it was a bit lacking.

So we have Samantha Moon. She is a wife, mother, and works for the FBI. Everything is great. Correction, everything was great, six years ago. One night Sam gets attacked and finds herself transformed into a vampire. She does her best for six years to keep her life as normal as possible. She changes jobs & sleeps while the kids are in school. Now she finds herself working nights as a private detective, super intuition is a vampire power. She slathers on sunscreen to take her kids to school and back. Apparently the sun doesn't cause her to combust into sudden flames, it just gives her really bad sunburn. She makes up a story about a rare skin disease, but seems to blab to everyone in her life the truth of what she is. Sam now must adjust to her husband's wanting out of the marriage. ( He is made out to be a bad guy, but He didn't ask for the situation either). He can't stand touching her cold skin. And he is understandably scared of her, she now is very strong and drinks blood.

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Moon Dance had an interesting concept. But the execution of it was a bit lacking.

So we have Samantha Moon. She is a wife, mother, and works for the FBI. Everything is great. Correction, everything was great, six years ago. One night Sam gets attacked and finds herself transformed into a vampire. She does her best for six years to keep her life as normal as possible. She changes jobs & sleeps while the kids are in school. Now she finds herself working nights as a private detective, super intuition is a vampire power. She slathers on sunscreen to take her kids to school and back. Apparently the sun doesn't cause her to combust into sudden flames, it just gives her really bad sunburn. She makes up a story about a rare skin disease, but seems to blab to everyone in her life the truth of what she is. Sam now must adjust to her husband's wanting out of the marriage. ( He is made out to be a bad guy, but He didn't ask for the situation either). He can't stand touching her cold skin. And he is understandably scared of her, she now is very strong and drinks blood.

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I love the Jim Knighthorse series so thought I would give this book a try. J.R. Rain did not disappoint. Samantha Moon is a normal person just trying to survive life even though she isn’t technically alive anymore. The character is very well written and J.R. Rain does a great job of describing a normal life while at the same time weaving a mythology of werewolves and vampires into the mix. The mythology of the paranormal is so well written it doesn’t seem out of place in the modern story or too farfetched to be believed.

The imagery and scenery is very well described and helps paint a picture so much you could almost see Samantha’s office and house in your mind. I love Samantha’s relationship with her sister and was glad to see her sister love her while still wanting to be creeped out by the vampire thing. Her relationship with her husband was heartbreaking to read and you almost felt Samantha’s pain as the relationship deteriorated. I admire how Samantha did not lose her humanity or her motherly instinct – she truly loves her children and they are her anchor to the reality.

The mystery seems a little too easy and doesn’t add much to the story but that is okay because the focus of the book is on getting introduced to Samantha Moon’s world.

There were two downsides to the story to me and the first one was the werewolf thing was totally predictable and not surprising at all. The second one was the love story. I didn’t buy the love story though – it did not resonate with me at all. I totally felt like she had way more chemistry with the vampire hunter and the police detective than she did with Kingsley. Their romance just seemed like the author threw it in there at the last minute.

The narrator Dina Pearlman is fabulous and did a wonderful job with the voices so much so I never got confused about who was talking.

Overall a good story and kept me interested in continuing the series. Well done Mr. Rain.

“I cannot make you understand. I cannot make anyone understand what is happening inside me. I cannot even explain it to myself.” ― Franz Kafka

Rain brings a truly unique twist to the vampire world with Samantha Moon. For 6 years, after her attack, Sam has been in a vicious cycle of self loathing, trying to save a loveless marriage, and barely coping with her drastically changed life. She accidentally ingests human blood for the first time, having been living on animal blood thus far, and her metamorphosis begins anew. This is the first in a much larger series and readers should know she continues to find herself throughout.

The assisting cast of characters are perfectly balanced. From the mysterious Fang who is her best friend, Jacky her physical trainer (sweet old Irishman who absolutely adores her, and is giving her the tools to never be a victim again), Mary Lou her sister/drop of a hat babysitter, Detective Sherbet (eat those pink donuts with pride) and her hunky-hairy client Kingsley. The only characters I didn't like are characters we shouldn't like.

Rains writing flows so naturally you can't help but be sucked into his imaginative world. His sense of humor keeps the laughs coming, and he throws some fun twists at us to keep things interesting. His experience as a PI really seems to help him create a believable mystery and its conclusion.

Overall, I love the series and the short stories that accompany them. I'm a fan for life, and I'm eager to see where Rain takes Sam next.

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I really liked this book, I liked the humor and the supernatural parts in it too. Samantha didn't deserve what happened to her but she was doing the best she could with her situation and her family. She didn't lose any of her skills when it came to investigating but she was able to add some more supernatural ones. Also a few unexpected friends as well. Her client Kingsley was one of them and as was Detective Sherbet became someone who began to trust her skills but questioned a lot of other things about her. And he was pretty astute. I liked both of those people and she sure had some interesting and often funny conversations with them both. I remember laughing more than once while I was reading it. Samantha had a kick-ass attitude that came out her mouth and her fists at times. She was also loving and kind hearted and adored her children. This story had several different mysteries going on but they were good ones.This book ended with many things completed but a few not that lead into another book. So, cliffhanger? Both Yes and No. If you are happy with how it ended then, "No". If you want to find out who her computer buddy, Fang is, and if Kingsley becomes more to Samantha then "Yes" somewhat a cliffhanger. Personally I want to see Samantha take back the upper hand from her husband. I could understand his fears but he failed to even see Samantha as a human woman with feelings. He was just disgusted by her, and he didn't seem to be all that warm and fuzzy towards his own kids either. He sure liked being in control though. The two men that are in Samantha's life, both seem to understand her pretty well. I've got my suspicions on who Fang is, wonder if I'm right?

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I love to read a good book with good writing and this falls in my great storylines books. What the hell---I'm a free read or $1.99 kinda girl--but I can't stop purchasing these books! I am now on book 5 of a long list. Oh R. J. Rain what have you done to me? I am addicted!!! In here you will find the heroine a mom, a wife, a PI, former HUD investigator and a vampire. You go on her journey of adjusting to what she has become, her angst with trying to keep her family life normal, her love of her children and the solving of crimes. Also with her new discoveries of what she can do, the paranormals around her and in her surrounding cities and some new love interests. The whole reading is fascinating and the characters introduced add such great dynamic to it all. It also tugs at the heart, she's likeable, humorous and she cries and I don't blame her. Because somehow R. J. Rain has created a humanitarian vampire that makes you root for her all the way,even in her dark deeds. And there are dark deeds. Highly recommend.

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One of my favorite series. Samantha Moon is a private detective who also happens to be a vampire. This book is just the beginning where you are introduced to Samantha and told a bit about how she became a vampire and the struggles of her life as a mother and wife after this horrible attack turned her into basically a creature of the night. As the series progresses you find out a lot of cool details about her family and exactly what she is and it is a great, original spin on the vampire story. You will be introduced to other characters, and some of them are not just human either. The series gets better with every book so I highly recommend grabbing this one and getting started. These early ones are short but they have a lot packed into them. When I started this series a couple years ago I think I wiped out 5 in 2 nights because the pace and the storytelling itself kept me enthralled.

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J. R. Rain might be my new favorite author! His books are humorous and warm, and the stories have just enough thrill factor to entertain rather than cause nightmares. Even though I could have read this first book for free as an Unlimited Member, I chose to support the author by paying a nominal $.99, and now I'm hooked! I'm on book 5 now, and consider the small amount I'm paying for each book well worth the price...and still could read for free, but feel strongly about encouraging Mr. Rains in his writing career. And the fact he's written several off-shoots from this Vampire for Hire series, well, all I can is WOW, I can't wait!!! If you like fun books with a plot, light romance, likeable characters, and glimpsing the author's insights into the goodness of life and human nature, you will love the Vampire for Hire series! HAVE FUN ON YOUR NEW READING JOURNEY!!!

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I had overspent my self imposed kindle budget for the month and this title got my interest because of the good reviews as well as the free price tag. (I have since paid for the next 3 books in the series!) I'm glad I tried it since it turns out I am a fan of Sam Moon and her quirky life. I enjoy how Sam is learning as she goes, only having been made a vampire 6 years ago and then left on her own in the modern world to figure things out. She's trying to keep it together like any devoted mother would but being undead in the human world will of course cause problems and hilarity in some cases ensue. She's left her day job as a government agent and gone into private investigating to attempt to keep her own hours but it doesn't always work out the way she plans. In addition to the supernatural themes of this series of books, mysteries are solved, love interests come and go, plenty of action and adventure, twists and turns. The writing is good, if I'm being critical there were a lot of cliches thrown in but it's a lighthearted read and for what I consider humorous fiction, that sort of thing doesn't bother me.

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Moon Dance is the 1st book in J.R Rain's Vampire for Hire series and one of my favorite series. I can't get enough of Samantha Moon. I enjoyed everything about her. This is not your run of the mill vampire story (no sparkly vampires).

A little background:She's a strong character trying to live her idealistic life of having a family (husband and two kids) and her idea of a dream job (HUD agent/FBI) when life throws her a curve and she becomes a vampire. She finds out that her so called loving husband isn't so loving as she tries to carry on by becoming a P.I. and take care of her kids.

This book is only the beginning of her story. I personally could not wait for the next book and the next.